4 Ingredient No Knead Bread

Sometimes, all a girl needs is some freshly baked whole wheat bread slathered in Earth Balance.

Besides releasing endorphins via carbohydrates, I also spent the entire weekend getting my life in order!

Santa approved.

I cleaned. I organized. I did Holiday prep. I bubble bathed.

I cleaned off the kitchen desk that was covered for 3 months…

I rocked my to-do list…

Paid bills/business banking

BUBBLE BATH

Cleaned main level of house

Organized kitchen supplies, clean out baking drawers

Donated all items not in use (got 2 boxes worth to donate!)

Clean/tidy office

3-4 loads Laundry

Baked 2 recipes for blog

Bought new bed

Finish X-mas shopping

Wrapped all gifts + ship out gifts

Grocery shopping

I am starting to feel like my life is sloooooowly getting back on track. This week I need to make time for the dentist and a much needed hair cut, two things I have not had time for over the past few months. I also need to work on my business tax prep and email catch up before the holidays arrive on Friday.

But, back to this bread.

You may have heard about this famous ‘No Knead Bread’ recipe from Jim Lahey at the Sullivan Street Bakery. The recipe was published on the New York Times website in 2006 and the bread has graced many food blogs over the past few years.

I finally decided I would give it a shot myself!

While I have admitted that I love kneading dough, my curious nature just got the best of me. I also wanted to try this recipe using 100% whole wheat bread flour to see if it would still turn out.

4 Ingredient No Knead Bread

3 cups 100% whole wheat bread flour (note: this is not the same thing as regular whole wheat flour)* see note

1/4 tsp instant yeast

1 + 5/8 cup warm water

1 + 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Additional flour for dusting

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. The mixture will be very sticky and shaggy, but this is normal. Place into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for 12-18 hours.

After rising, turn out the sticky dough onto floured surface and fold the dough a couple of times. Place back in the bowl, covered, for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, grab the dough and lightly flour your work surface if need be. Only use enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking because you don’t want to dry out the dough. Fold corners into the middle to shape it into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Place the dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

30 minutes before the rise is over, preheat oven to 450F and place a 5-8 quart cast iron pot (or other sturdy pot that can withstand this temperature) with lid in the oven while it heats.

After 30 minutes of preheating, carefully remove the pot from the oven. Place a square of parchment on the bottom of the pot and place the dough ball seam side up into the pot.

Bake for 30 minutes with the lid on at 450F. Remove lid and bake for an additional 10-20 to brown. Cool for about 10-20 minutes.

Note: Using 100% whole wheat bread flour resulted in a fairly dense dough that did not rise as much as the white flour version. This version also did not have air holes or pockets throughout the bread. With that being said, if you don’t mind a denser and hearty bread, then this one may be for you. You could also try using a mix of whole wheat bread flour and white bread flour to see if that lightens things up.

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First things first, mix all 4 ingredients together and let it rise for 12-18 hours, covered in plastic wrap.

My dough mess looked like this after about 14 hours…

Hot mess.

Turn the hot mess onto a lightly floured surface and fold the dough a couple of times. Place back in the bowl, covered, for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, fold the corners into the middle to shape it into a ball.

Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. I used flour and it was one heck of a mess!

Place the dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours.

Tip: If you use a tall narrow bowl, the dough should rise higher as the walls will force the dough to expand upward.

Sketchie hibernated.

After 2 hours, place the dough ball seam side up into the preheated pot.

Do as I say not as I do, apparently. I placed it seam side down by mistake. I’m not sure how much this impacts the final outcome! Maybe it doesn’t rise as much when it is seam side down?

Bake for 30 minutes covered with the lid, and then carefully remove the lid and brown the bread for 15-20 minutes.

Voila.

Rustic, wholesome, goodness.

The result is a very crispy outer shell with a moist and dense interior.

The crumb was a bit spongy for my liking, but it was nothing a slather of Earth Balance couldn’t fix. Our favorite part was the crisp outer crust…it was incredible and made this bread so rustic.

Eric and I proceeded to eat half the loaf for lunch.

Is there anyone who actually makes fresh bread and does not inhale it when it comes out of the oven?

My overall impression of this no knead bread is that it was more work and mess than it initially seems.

I probably would opt for making kneaded bread next time, only because there is not a 12-18 hour wait period and I think the whole wheat dough might rise better using a traditional method. I’ll have to test out a kneading recipe soon to compare! If anyone has some good whole wheat bread recipes, please shoot em my way.

Either way, Eric and I still very much enjoyed this bread and if you don’t mind the 12-18 hour rest time, it might be a good option for you! You may also want to play around with the flour too using a mix of white and whole wheat bread flours as this one was a bit dense.

PS- I found this quote on an old bread post and I’m re-posting it because it makes me laugh and it is TRUE!

“Any human being is really good at certain things. The problem is that the things you’re good at come naturally. And since most people are pretty modest instead of an arrogant s.o.b. like me, what comes naturally, you don’t see as a special skill. It’s just you. It’s what you’ve always done.” – Stephen Jay Gould, evolutionary scientist

I made spelt bread once and ended up eating half the loaf straight from the oven :P When I told my friends I was too full to eat supper with them because I’d just eaten half a bread, they thought I meant HALF A SLICE and gave me such dirty looks! Of course, when I explained, they cracked up :)

wow, you must feel like a new woman after that super-productive weekend, angela! way to go on accomplishing such a variety of tasks!
another bonus of fresh baked bread is the smell that permeates the house….yum! just about as good as the taste!
have a wonderful pre-christmas week! ho ho ho!

I need to find a nice simple bread recipe, but i dont really want to have to go find “bread” flour, i dont have enough space for all that stuff in my cupboards. but i definitely want the smell of fresh baked bread in my place sometime soon!
but it sure looks delicious!

If you can’t find bread flour in the store (which it should be pretty easy to find, it is very common) you can also grab a small bag of vital wheat gluten and add a bit of that to the regular flour. That is the difference between bread flour and all purpose flour, the gluten is higher which makes for a more desirable, chewy texture in the bread.

I actually really like dense bread! Your pictures are inducing some carb cravings over here ;)
Must be nice to catch up on things! You are one productive and inspiring woman!
Also, that picture of Sketchie is TOO funny – wonder what he’s thinking…

We have a colony of feral cats that live outside our house (that we’ve had neutered and now feed) and once when we were grilling bread (bread is amazing brushed with olive oil, then briefly grilled), one of the cats stole a slice! It was hilarious!

That’s funny- I agree with you about kneading bread, it’s half the fun. But this looks like a [practically] no fuss way for us beginning bread makers to get it going. So glad your life’s in order again- such a great feeling :)

“My overall impression of this no knead bread is that it was more work and mess than it initially seems. “—

–Thanks for the honest feedback! I have found so many things like that in the kitchen. I bought a crock pot b/c everyone told me how “easy” they are. Well, I guess. But I’d rather just boil the crap outta my soup on the stovetop for 45 mins and have 1 normal pot to clean than waiting 6 hrs and having this big cumbersome weird crockpot pot to try to clean and contend with. (I still do like my crockpot and all but ya know not always “worth it”) Probably a bad analogy but i know what you mean…

And I’m sure you have this posted somewhere (gonna search your archives) but I think I read somewhere you have a Canon 50d. I am going to buy a Dslr like..this week…debating on the 60D or the Rebel T2i The 50d and 60d are now the same price which is why I am considering that. You have such beautiful photos (as i know everyone tells you!!) so that’s my #1 reason I am looking at the 50d/60d :)

Thanks hon for the camera scoop! Was debating between the 50mm 1.8 and 1.4 lens and which body is still up in the air…either one of the D’s, or the Ti Rebels. We shall see how giving$$ I feel like being towards myself. haha :)

Oh man, it must have felt SO nice to take the weekend and just get your life back in order!! I’m glad that making bread was on your list of getting things in order :-) I think if I had to pick only one food to live on for the rest of my life, it would be warm bread and butter (or Earth Balance :-))– yours looks amazing!

Hey there,
I just wanted to say that I love your website and every morning it is such a treat to log on and see what you have to say. I have made a lot of your recipes and they are delicious. I think that you have a lot of talent and will be successful in whatever you want to accomplish. Have a fantastic day and enjoy your Christmas, you deserve it!
Nicole

I make no-knead bread too, but I use this recipe from the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day cookbook. Honestly, it is SUPER easy, no big mess, and makes just fantastic bread. I had a batch of it in my fridge from 2 weeks ago, and I pulled it out and made up a loaf yesterday morning to take a holiday potluck yesterday evening and I have everyone telling me it was the best bread EVER. I use 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 white bread flour, and when the dough sits in the fridge for a week or so it really develops a yummy sourdough flavor.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/Artisan-Bread-In-Five-Minutes-A-Day.aspx

Basically, you mix the dough, let it rise for at least 2 hours on the counter, transfer it to a container that is NOT air tight and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to bake. Take a chunk out for however large of a loaf you want, shape it and let it sit on the counter to rise for 45-90 minutes (I usually dust my wooden cutting board with a little flour and just let it sit there), and then bake it. Done! Yum! Also, the recipe calls for a pizza stone which I don’t have. I use a cookie sheet turned over so it has no rims and a piece of parchment paper on top. Very little mess, you have bread dough that lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge for whenever you want it, and it is just amazing results.

So if you still want to make 4 ingredient no-knead bread, you might want to give this recipe a try. Confession – I don’t have their cookbook yet but I am hoping to get it for Christmas…they have 2 books out, Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day and Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a Day. I want them both!!

Not a ton, although it does rise more in the oven than it does on the counter. I am still working out my ratio of liquid to dry because using the whole wheat flour it needs more liquid than white flour would. When it is the perfect ratio of liquid the loaf rises really nicely, when it is too liquidy it tends to resemble foccacia bread more :-) I have heard that because this is their “master recipe” you can use it in a bread pan to make more of a sandwich type loaf. I am still playing around with it.

To decrease the mess after the initial rising period, just flour the top of the dough and dump it onto a piece of parchment paper. When it’s ready to go into the oven, score the top (pretty!) lift the dough into the hot pot and bake, parchment and all. The crust will still get crispy, and you can easily transfer the loaf in and out of the hot pot by grabbing the corners of the parchment.

I like rising and storing an all-purpose dough in the fridge so I have it on hand for quick dinner rolls, loaves and monkey bread. It’s really handy to have around!

Yeh, no cotton towel. I do the parchment paper thing too. First long rise in a covered mixing bowl, then dump the lot on the parchment and into the cold pot for the last rise (the lid will keep it from drying out), then put the cold pot in a cold oven and heat it up as hot as it goes (taking the lid off near the end). The dough will separate from the parchment during baking.

I used to make bread in my bread machine once a week back in my gluten eating days and it would be decimated the second it came out. Bread is just…different after a few hours. It changes somehow. :) Nothing that butter and a microwave can’t fix though.

I like that bubble bath is on your to-do list. That’s my kind of prioritizing.

I’m glad you tried the bread! I used to make this all the time! My suggestion would be to make it a couple more times before you decide not to make it anymore…in my experience, the first bread you make is good, but it gets much better once you start personalizing it a little more. My favorite way to make it was with walnuts, rosemary, and a drizzle of honey in the dough.
As for the long wait, I find that is one of the best things about this bread because I work outside the home. When I make it, I start it right before I go to bed on the first night, let it rise overnight, stick it in the fridge during the day (more on that in a minute), and bake it the next evening, which is really convenient for me.
As for giving it some time in the fridge, when I’ve left the bread out for longer than about 10 hours, I find that it becomes overproofed (basically, it become too puffy and is weakened to the point where it collapses a bit in the oven) and I don’t get as good of a rise as if I let it rise for 8 hours, then put it in the fridge so that it rises a bit more slowly. You might want to give that a try.

i do the same schedule with mine, but i always leave it on the counter, and mine has never collapsed. i throw it all together around 10 or 11 at night, then prep it for the second rise when i get home a little after 5 the next day.

this is the bread recipe that i use more than any other because it’s so simple and unfussy and absolutely awesome. and i’ve used all whole wheat and had no problems with the rise (yes, it is denser than using just AP, but still nothing like what looks like happened here–it almost looks like you didn’t use enough water, but i’m not there, of course, so what do i know?). i’d hate for someone not to attempt it because of this.

more often, though, i’ll use 2/3 whole wheat and 1/3 AP or bread flour, whatever i have around, plus a little honey and molasses. (i’ve also made this with all bread flour and all AP. i have yet to have a single loaf fail. out of dozens, i’d say.)

yea im really not sure…i followed the original recipe exactly. The only thing I was wondering is maybe that my yeast wasn’t active. I’ll have to try it with some fresh stuff again and see if that changes anything.

That’s a really long wait time, but the bread does look very good- I’m a sucker for a good crust and actually love chewy, dense bread more than the fluffier kinds. I might have to free up 12-18 hours. :)

Yum!!! I’ve never made my own bread! Even though this does have a long rise period, I might make it before making traditional bread, just to get used to the bread-making process! Thanks for the recipe!!!!

Fresh bread is my favorite thing in the world. When I was in hgih school my mom used to make fresh sourdough bread and run the top with salted butter when it cam out of the oven. I STILL dream about that bread and the crusty salty crust.

Last week I made your pumpkin pie brownies for a potluck and they were a HUGE hit! I wasn’t surprised because I make your recipes all the time. My fiancée has requested that I make it for his family’s Christmas dinner too. I was wondering if you had tried freezing them? I would love to make them ahead of time but I worry about the pumpkin pie layer having a weird texture once it is defrosted.

Oh, and I was really hoping you would win the challenge! I thought you were the best by far!
Enjoy your holidays.!

Last week I made your pumpkin pie brownies for a potluck and they were a HUGE hit! I wasn’t surprised because I make your recipes all the time. My fiancée has requested that I make it for his family’s Christmas dinner too. I was wondering if you had tried freezing them? I would love to make them ahead of time but I worry about the pumpkin pie layer having a weird texture once it is defrosted.

Oh, and I was really hoping you would win the challenge! I thought you were the best by far!
Enjoy your holidays!

I have the 5 minutes a day artisan bread book and its fantabulous. My husband says its the best bread he’s ever had. Supper fast and easy, I loved it so much I went out and bought healthy breads in 5 minutes a day too and they’re even better! I make a small loaf for the two of us every other day because it never lasts longer than that.

I often make homemade bread (but unlike you I cheat and use a bread machine! :P) and you’re right- as soon as it’s ready, I inhale it! The smell that permeates the whole house is the best bit! Nothing can beat the smell of freshly baked bread :)

I have a tweaked really good multigrain recipe from Deborah Madison that I love (actually, I plan on making it again this afternoon). It has multigrain cereal in it, and can either be 100% whole wheat flour or part white/whole wheat. It is delicious! It also has sunflower seeds, couldn’t be better. The original recipe calls for buttermilk/honey, but I’m sure you could veganize it. Let me know if you want the link!

I was planning to bake some bread today with my mom since we just restocked on our white whole wheat flour and this seems like a nice technique for when I don’t want to bother with kneading. Thanks for sharing~

So not even joking, I was searching for this recipe last night because I’m pregnant and was having a major bread craving! Thanks for posting it! I made it a few years ago when the recipe first came out in the NY Times. Your right, it’s not the same as kneeding it yourself, but when your too tired to do much kneeding, it’s a great alternative :)

Hi Angela – that looks great! I’ve made this recipe before too, using wholegrain spelt flour I think, and I remember it was pretty good. You’re right though, it does seem to work out quite messy, but still good! I’m pretty keen on baking powder bread at the moment which is less mess, there’s no waiting time, and it tastes pretty darn good too. :) There’s something special about yeast bread though! Bread vs. cheese? No contest. ;) Happy Christmas and congrats on making the final 3 in the Project Food Blog!

Had no idea where to post this as I know its slightly outdated now (Ive had a crazy few days with submitting info for my nutrition degree) BUT I just wanted to say how amazing every submission of yours was for Foodbuzz, but how totally touched I was by final post.

Your recipes are amazing, your writing and photos are beautiful, but your totally exceptional skill is in the strength of your kindess, humility, thoughtfulness and honesty – which totally shows through in everything you write. In a blog world where its SO tempting to pretend to be perfect and together the whole time your honesty about struggles we ALL have – if we were just a bit more honest! – is a total breath of comforting fresh air.

Plus, its massively reassuring when super gorgeous, intelligent and together people get anxiety too! :). Your blog genuinely makes me want to be a better person.

I’m so glad you did this! I have been wanting to make no-knead bread ever since I read The Art of Eating In by Cathy Erway, and I knew I’d need to set aside a weekend to do it. I wanted a whole-wheat version, but wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I just never got around to it because I never really got the time. But I have been feeling guilty every time another weekend goes by without me having made a loaf! Now I can stop feeling guilty. Yours does look amazing, but like you said, the extra time and effort does not seem worth it. I think I’ll stick to my favorite Whole Foods loaf :) Thank you!!

I need to discuss your chocolate torte recipe.
I served it last night to a group of people who are total foodie people, and they asked for seconds, and then they all sat stunned when I told them it was a) vegan and b) contained avocados. Oh, and they clamored for the recipe, so I dutifully wrote out your URL.

Consider this my daily “Oh She Glows” Public Service Announcement:
Stop whatever you are doing right now. Head to the grocery store, buy 4 avocados.
Return home.
Make. This. Immediately.

(and try not to eat half the filling before it even hits the cake pan)

I read here http://ohsheglows.com/2008/11/10/if-i-could-bottle-this-smell-i-would/ that your all time favourite website is allrecipes.com. If you like that one you might also like this one: http://www.joyofbaking.com/
I love that site! They have a lot :)

Hi! I’m one of your biggest fans and I posted about a rye buttermilk whole-wheat bread on my blog a while ago that I think might just float your boat: http://laurenzietsman.wordpress.com/2010/10/23/buttermilk-rye-whole-wheat-bread-so-good-you-might-want-to-marry-it/ …it’s seriously SO good–hearty, but with a slight buttermilk tang and a pretty subtle rye taste. It’s from Bernard Clayton’s Complete Book of Breads and was a giant success. You really should try it for a whole wheat bread that’s not just whole wheat :)
Lauren

Looks like you had therapy in two forms today – the amazing, grounding rush that comes from creating control out of chaos (and least it’s medicine in my world) and the healing, warm fuzziness of baking and eating homemade bread :)